A.N. Alright people. If you have read any of my other work, you know that I have a rather sporadic update schedule. I don't update regularly. Some people like my work, others do not. But hopefully, you are one of the people that like my work! This also does not comply strictly to RWBY. It has some things that I added in that might not conform to the rules of RWBY. So read and review. Please tell me what you think. Criticism is appreciated, but no hate mail.
A boy slept in his bed as soft sunlight leaked through the blinds. He was of average height and build, with what some would consider a handsome face, and his shaggy black hair that was completely askew. He stirred from his slumber revealing deep red eyes. He sat up groggily and yawned. He looked around to his small one room apartment. The wallpaper was peeling, there were cracks, and there were clothes scattered across the room.
He picked up the clock that was beside the bed. Immediately he shot to his feet with a shout. "I'm late!" He quickly pulled on a red tee shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a black leather jacket. Hurriedly he tried to brush his teeth while pulling on socks and black sneakers. He packed up his toiletries and tossed them into a backpack that had all his supplies that he had packed the night before. Shrugging the straps on, he began to run. He passed neighbors that looked at him with curiosity.
Leaping down the steps, he barely missed others coming up. Dodging the occasional person, he made it to the street below. Immediately he took off at a dead sprint. Dodging and leaping over obstacles at breakneck speed. He turned the corner to run into an old man who was carrying many boxes.
"I'm so sorry," he said.
"That's quite alright," the man said. "May I ask your name, I've seen you around as of late."
"Michael," he said quickly. He quickly picked up the boxes before handing them back to the man. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm really late."
"I understand," the man said. Michael took off again and quickly reached his destination. It was a landing pad for the airships, and they had just taken off.
"Dammit!" He cursed. Quickly he opened his scroll and looked for directions to where he should be. Beacon Academy. Quickly gathering his bearings, he took of his shoes and socks before placing them in his bag.
He took off again, racing towards his destination. As he ran, he legs began to darken, elongate and became more animal in nature. His feet got longer, and the muscles began to increase in size. In no time at all, he was racing faster than any normal human or faunist could. His steps became huge strides that propelled him at amazing speed. He quickly raced through the city faster than most could ever dream of. His constant thudding of his feet became a rhythmic pattern and he allowed his mind to wander.
He had sent in his application to Beacon because he had favorable sources and had contacts that could help him. He had never gone to a standard school that others had gone to. He had always worked on his training in small groups or by himself. He had learned rapidly and was well on his way through learning most subjects even without a formal education. Due to this fact, most people would never even give him a chance. He had one, and he was going to take it.
Michael ran through the day and into the night taking brief breaks. Finally he reached the outer reaches of the school where he slowed and his legs turned back to normal with a few snapping and cracking sounds. He winced slightly before pulling his socks and sneakers back on. The night was silent except for the slight wind blowing through the area. He began to walk towards the offices only to be stopped by a woman with blonde hair and bright green eyes. She wore a simple uniform with a strange purple cape and held a riding crop in her hands.
"What are you doing here?" She asked coldly. She was definitely a teacher, but Michael got the sense that she was much younger than others expected. She was tall, though her heels gave her extra height.
Michael stopped and tilted his head at her. "I'll here for schooling."
"Then why are you not in the hall with the others?" She asked suspiciously.
"Missed the airship," he said with a nonchalant shrug. "I've been running for a while to get here. You can check with Ozpin if you want."
The woman considered this. "Come with me," she said before turning and walking the other direction. She pulled out her scroll. "What's your full name?"
"Michael Angelo Grimm," he answered. "And yes that is my real last name." He stretched his arms uncaringly as he walked behind the woman.
"I am Professor Goodwitch," she said. "And I remember your scores. They were rather strange. Every other student here had almost textbook answers. Yours were… different." She turned towards him. "Also, while you had recommendations, you had no formal schooling, and you're practically invisible. The only records of you are the standard birth certificate, next of kin, and the like. Besides that, nothing." She turned towards him with a dark look in her eye. "So I'll be watching you." She said as they finally got to Ozpin's office. She knocked on the door.
"Come in," Ozpin's voice came through. They opened the door to reveal a tall man with messy graying hair, and warm brown eyes. His glasses sat on his nose comfortably, and his suit was prim and fresh. He was standing by a large window with a mug of coffee in one hand and a cane in the other. "Ah. Mr. Grimm. How are you?"
"Same as last time," Michael said simply.
"And your mother?" He asked.
"You know damn well how she's doing," he said sharply. "You're the one who has her in the intensive care."
"Language!" Goodwitch said sharply.
"My apologies," Michael said to her.
"I did not wish harm on your mother," Ozpin said sadly.
"But your botched procedure did harm her, and I have a hard time trusting you because of that. I want to be able to sir, but it doesn't come easy," Michael reasoned.
"I understand," Ozpin replied. "But I suspect you didn't come here to talk with me about the past."
"Nope," Michael said. "I missed the airship and had to run the whole way here."
"Well," Ozpin said. "I see no reason for you to be punished for an unfortunate circumstance." He turned to Professor Goodwitch, "Glynda, would you escort Mr. Grimm here to the hall with the others?" She nodded and Michael followed her down towards where the others were sleeping.
"I suggest that you find a place to sleep and do so. You're going to be in placed in teams tomorrow," The blonde professor recommended before ushering him into the room.
"Thank you," he said politely. "Have a good night." She nodded before the door was shut and darkness filled everything. He concentrated and his night vision got better as he altered his eyes slightly.
The dark hallway was easy for him to navigate now, but he had nowhere to go except for an area around a large sleeping pad and bag that held a petite girl with blindingly white hair. Her skin was almost as pale as her hair and she had bags all around her. He pulled out a simple sleeping bag and placed his bag under it's head before laying down.
Everyone was sound asleep, though he could hear someone muttering something about pancakes in their sleep. As he allowed his eyes to return to normal, he felt a slight pressure behind his eyes. He shrugged it off and closed his eyes. As sleep began to come to him, he felt some kind of warmth near him. He opened his eyes to see that the girl next to him had rolled over and was right next to him.
"Oh well," he thought. "I don't want to wake her up. I'll just deal." With this though, he fell asleep hoping that he would be able to do well on whatever they had tomorrow.
Michael woke up feeling something draped over his chest. He opened his eyes, he saw that the girl had shifted again in her sleep and was now almost cuddling up to him. Carefully he tried to lift her arm, but she only moved in closer.
"Shit," He cursed mentally. "Hey!" he whispered. She stirred slightly. "Hey!" He whispered slightly louder. Her eyes cracked open. Then her eyes widened before scrambling away from him. She stood up and realized that no one else was awake except one orange haired girl who was staring at a boy with black hair and a pink highlight.
"What were you doing?" The white haired girl hissed.
"Well, I wanted to get up, and you wouldn't let me go," he said calmly. Her face turned red. "Before you start getting mad, I had no intention of doing anything and I will keep quiet about it if you want."
"What?" She asked, completely taken aback. "Um. Thanks?" She said while she blushed. Michael turned away and began to pack up his sleeping bag. Once everything was packed back into his backpack. He heard her speak up again.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Michael," he responded. "And yours?"
"Weiss Schnee," she answered. "What happened to your other luggage?"
"This is it," he answered pointing to his backpack. "It holds everything I need. Anything else that I could need, I'll buy." During the silence that followed, others began to wake and Michael could almost sense Weiss had a huge question.
"Do you know who I am?" she asked.
"Yeah," he answered. "You're Weiss Schnee. Heir to the Schnee dust company. But I really don't care about that."
"What?" She asked with shock. "Why not?"
"Because I just don't care," he said. He finished packing and left her fuming to go to breakfast.
Michael placed his backpack into the locker and pulled out a simple sword that was much too long for him. It was nothing special except for a small surprise he had placed inside it. With his bag he placed his jacket, shirt and footwear. This left him in his pants that had strange zipper like protrusions running down the sides. Wearing nothing else, he began to walk out.
"Where are the rest of your clothes?" A passing girl asked as she ran her eyes up and down his toned body.
"This is it," he answered. "I don't want my clothes destroyed. Don't question it." This shut her up and he continued with the sword in a simple scabbard that he slung over his shoulder. He passed by many others before coming across Weiss and two others. A rather beautiful redhead girl and a tall gangly blonde boy. The blonde seemed to be hitting on Weiss, but was having little luck.
"Careful," he cautioned the boy. "She doesn't seem to like you much."
"Yeah," he acknowledged. "But what am I supposed to do then?"
"Maybe try your luck on the beautiful redhead that's right next to you?" he said.
"Do you even know who she is?" Weiss exclaimed. Michael smirked.
"No. But I didn't recognise you either. I just knew who you were after you said your name."
"She's Pyrrha Nikos!" Weiss exclaimed.
"Ah," Michael said with understanding. "You're quite the warrior Ms. Nikos."
"Please just call me Pyrrha," She said.
"Right," Michael acknowledged. "I'm Michael. And you are…?" He asked the boy.
"Jaune Arc," the boy answered.
"Well it was a pleasure to meet you all," Michael said before turning around and walking away.
"Wait!" Weiss called. "Where's the rest of your clothes?"
"In the locker. I don't want them right now," Michael answered. He took a breath and he began to grow. Soon, he was at six foot six and was much stronger looking. His muscles were much larger and the zipper like parts of the pants opened revealing more fabric that was folded inside. With this the pants accommodated his size. Along with his growth, several snaps and cracks were heard.
"This is why," he said. He continued walking out towards the area where the others were gathered for the task. Many looked at him with amazement. This was not the boy they had seen before with his skinny, but toned muscles.
As he waited for the others, he looked out at the forest in front of him. He increased the strength of his eyes and saw many Grimm running through the forest. Several nevermore roosted on large trees. Michael barely paid attention to Ozpin but understood what was happening. You were partnered with the first person you met. You had to get to the ruins and grab one relic for the two of you. He finally started paying attention when people started getting launched off their platforms. He cracked his neck and waited. Three… Two… One… Now! He flew through the air. He tucked his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms round his knees. He focused and bony plates began to form all around him as he fell. He was practically a cannonball and was falling like one. He increased the strength of the bony shields and flared his aura. He hit the ground hard and earth went flying everywhere. He felt the pain that his change had on him and as he returned himself to his form before, he felt the pain of the altering of his body structure.
He looked around to the forest. He stretched and heard a few cracks and snaps. Sighing he began to walk til a branch landed on his head. He looked up to see a small girl with tanned skin and purple hair hanging from a branch. She was in a pair of skinny jeans and a simple tee shirt. Something else fell and he recognised it as a weapon. It was a pickaxe with sharpened blades. The shaft was about six feet long and the blades were about four feet along the curve each. The girl was hanging rather precariously and was barely holding on.
"Hey!" Michael called out. She looked down at him revealing golden eyes. "Here! I'll catch you!" He said holding out his arms. She was easily fifty feet off the ground and he could tell that she was doubting him. Finally, she slipped. With a scream, she fell and Michael shot into action. Racing at the tree, he jumped and pushed off the tree, catching her in his arms as he redirected the force of her fall. Landing on his feet, he felt his aura take part of the impact. He set her down. "Told you I'd catch you," he snarked.
"So you did," she said with a smirk. "So I guess we're partners now?"
"I guess," Michael answered. "I'm Michael."
"I'm Tyra," she replied. "It's nice to meet you." She picked up her weapon and began to walk. "Well come on." She said with a smile. The two of them began to walk through the forest. Michael felt a prickling at the back of his neck. Something was wrong.
"Something's here," Michael said. They looked around.
"Where?" Tyra asked. She readied her weapon while Michael drew his sword.
Michael heard groaning and the ground underneath them vibrated. "Run!" He shouted. "It's a wyrm!"
"A what?" Tyra asked just something burst from the ground. It looked like an earthworm, but it's head was covered in plates and spikes ran down it's back. It had no appendages and four eyes stared at them unblinkingly. It's head was about five feet tall and Michael knew that the body undoubtedly ran underneath it for another forty to fifty feet.
Tyra's body began to glow and a shimmering purple form began to grow around her. She resided in it's chest, and it grew to be about ten feet tall. The shimmering purple avatar held a pickaxe as well and it spun before slashing at the worm while it wriggled out of the hole. With precision she sliced it in half.
"No!" Michael shouted. It was too late. The head continued moving while the injury closed. What was surprising to Tyra was that the tail end squirmed and bubbled until a new head formed. Now they had a problem. There were two wyrms instead of one.
"How do we kill it?" Tyra asked worriedly.
"By cutting it down the middle, burning it to death, or completely shredding it," Michael responded.
With that, the two got to work. While fire was not an option in the forest, and the slicing down the middle was barely doable with one, the only way they could do it was to completely shred it. The two worked together to slice into the wyrms, taking off pieces and cutting them even smaller to prevent them from turning into new wyrms. The wyrms attacked with their huge jaws and their long tongues that could stab into them and were barbed to do even more damage. Tyra's avatar got bit and stabbed by the wyrms, and each time, the Avatar got dimmer until Tyra had to drop the Avatar to continue the fight. Michael slashed with his sword and pushed a small button that released the blade and allowed a spool of razor chain to be unspooled. This was flicked with accuracy slicing into the wyrms repeatedly the smaller pieces of the wyrms dissolved into shadows until there was one left.
Michael recalled the chain, and rushed forward with his sword. The maw opened and the tongue shot out. Michael dodged it and sliced through it before plunging his sword through the roof of the wyrm's mouth. It stopped moving and Michael stepped back before turning to Tyra.
She stared at him with shock. Blood bubbled from her mouth as she collapsed. Then Michael saw the tongue sticking out of her stomach. He had dodged it, but it had stabbed her. Wyrms had a toxin that corroded the aura and body. He could already see the effects.
"No!" He whispered. "No dammit." She coughed up more blood.
"At least we got them," she said with a weak smile. Lines of black began to spread on her body around the wound. She coughed again.
"Dammit," He said again. "Where are the teachers?!" He felt tears form in his eyes. "They should have medical personnel."
"It's okay," she said. "I didn't even expect to get this far." She coughed up more blood. "I actually cheated to get here. I was only about average, but I was able to cheat my way to get here."
"If you were only average," Michael said. "Then there had better be some damn good fighters here."
She laughed. "Yeah. Do me a favor?"
"Sure," he said.
"Make sure you survive. Maybe get a girlfriend. Hell, get a harem. Live life to the most you can." She said before coughing up blood. The black lines were creeping up towards her heart. "Just make sure you do something worth doing." She coughed again and now the blood was darker and had flecks of black in it.
"Funny thing is, I don't regret anything. Just getting the chance to take down some grimm is awesome. I don't think anyone has even heard of a wyrm," she coughed and now all she spit out was black. The lines had reached her heart and a few were creeping up her neck.
"It was good to meet you Michael," Tyra said before she stopped moving. Michael's tears streamed down his face. He had seen it before. The reason most didn't know about wyrms was because almost no one lived to tell the tale. And the ones that did live quickly succumbed to the poison.
He felt the familiar pressure that his semblance caused when his emotions ran rampant. It began to build up inside his chest and threatened to spill out. He looked around, and let it. The ground around him darkened and the trees began to twist into cruel looking branches. The sunlight seemed to dim and all around small beautiful flowers began to bloom. The small flowers had petals that were purple tinged in a deep blue with a deep orange at the center where they met. The stems had long, sharp, barbed thorns that would tear the flesh of whoever touched them.
He carefully picked her up and stood. His red eyes were like hellfire as he stared into the forest. His semblance surrounded him with a dark aura. He began to walk and in his wake, the same flowers began to bloom and the trees became twisted.
A growl echoed from his left and he turned to see a beowolf in the shadows. It leaped at him and promptly fell to shreds. It simply seemed to have been shredded midair. The pieces blew away in the wind and Michael continued his walk.
Every grimm that attacked him met the same fate. They died instantly while leaving Michael without a scratch. Each grimm that perished gave Michael a sick sense of satisfaction. He didn't even notice the cracks of red that were spreading from his eyes. He no longer cried tears, but blood.
Finally he reached a clearing with a set of ruins to see eight people and a death stalker. The death stalker had been attacking them, but it had stopped. It turned to look at Michael and it backed up. Michael continued his walk and the grimm scuttled away into the trees. Michael came to the ruins before looking at the grimm again causing it to shudder and move back even farther.
He stopped by a simple piece. It was the black king piece from the chess board. "How fitting," He mused. "The lone piece that is always the last to fall. The one that survives all others. The one that is the end of the game." He carefully shifted the body of his teammate to one to his left arm before picking up the piece with his right. He placed the piece in his pocket and turned to see the eight looking at him.
"Michael?" Weiss asked. "Are you okay?" Fear and worry radiated from all of them.
"I am," he said. "But I will not be for much longer. I bid you adieu." And with that he altered his bodily structure again. Two long bony protrusions erupted from his shoulder blades and blood dripped down his back. As muscle and leathery skin soon followed, the others could only stare as a pair of wings that resembled a bat's formed. The wings were large and powerful and seemed to darken the air around them.
With a powerful thrust, Michael was off the ground and soaring while holding the body of his fallen partner in his arms. As he reigned in his semblance the red cracks around his eyes receded and blood stopped streaming from his eyes. He flew through the air and down to where the Headmaster and Professor Goodwitch were waiting. They watched in amazement as he touched down and gently lay Tyra on the grass.
"Where were you?" He asked coldly. "When she died, where were you?!" He looked up and they could see the pain in his eyes. "These are not hunters and huntresses yet. They are possible students. You should be taking care of them!"
"The students should be able to take care of themselves," Goodwitch said though she was trying to hold back tears.
"The grimm that killed her was not a simple grimm," he snarled. "It was a grimm that most have never heard of and has killed many professionals." He gestured to Tyra's face. "Do you know of a grimm that has the ability to do this?" They stayed silent. "It's called a wyrm. When cut in half, it becomes two. It's sharp tongue is used to stab and poison its enemies. The poison has no cure and quickly erodes the aura and body of the victim. Even if her aura was not shattered by the tongue, the poison would have destroyed her aura and left her defenceless."
"We didn't know of any…" Ozpin started.
"Yes just like before," Michael snarled. "Do not put me in another team. That would be an insult to Tyra's memory." He tossed the chess piece to Ozpin. "Here's your 'relic'. Hope it was worth the life of a student." He walked away as the aftereffects of his semblance began to catch up to him. Pain wracked his body but he continued walking.
Once he left their line of sight he stumbled and fell as the pain continued. The emotional and the physical was too much for him. He still remembered Tyra's face. She didn't fear death, but she accepted it. What she feared was dying for nothing. He remembered her words. "'Just make sure you do something worth doing.' I will Tyra."
Michael stood in the auditorium silently. A mask of indifference covered his face as he denied anyone the sight of his true feelings. Ozpin was listing off the teams like nothing was wrong and they stood proud of their accomplishments. Finally, Ozpin called up Michael and he walked up to the stand.
"Michael Angelo Grimm, and his partner Tyra Royale brought back the black king piece," He swallowed with slight nervousness. "And Tyra unfortunately fell in battle with a Grimm."
Michael heard someone whispering about how Tyra must not have been very good. Inside he seethed, but outside he kept still. Ozpin however was very worried that Michael would snap at whoever said that but he kept talking though there was a slight hesitation.
"And so Michael will be working between teams RWBY and JNPR," he said. This was risky. He could not put Michael in another team as Michael was unlikely to accept it, and he was also an odd man out. Therefore, he could put him by himself, though that would look like favoring, or he could have him work between two teams. This was much more favorable and would hopefully provide unity to the teams.
Michael was accepting of this arrangement and left to stand in between the two teams. With this the assembly was over, and the new students walked back to the dorms. There was a dorm with four beds for each team, but due to the strange circumstances for Michael they had something different planned. The two teams were in rooms on the same side of the hallway with a small room that connected the two. This was where Michael would stay as the go between for the two teams.
As he walked into the room, he set down his backpack that held everything. The room wasn't too small, and probably could have another person staying there. There were two doors that connected his room to the other two teams' rooms. He sat down on the bed and looked out the window. It was night out and the school seemed so peaceful. He pulled out his packed items. He had a few changes of clothes and now his uniforms. He had notebooks, pencils and pens, even a large drawing pad with colored pencils of every hue. With that finished, he used his scroll to set an alarm for the morning. Hopefully, he'd find something worth doing. Something to stand for. Something that he could protect.
A.N. So here is the first chapter. This will be a harem story, but it's not going to be mindless lemons. I'm going to be giving it a plot and some fluff as well. Hope you liked it.
